TALENTED WRIGHT DUO IN ALBANY STAKES AGAINST SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S WHAT’SONTHEAGENDA, SIX MORE
On Saturday, trainer Blaine Wright will be in Southern California to saddle 2019 Breeders Cup Juvenile runner up Anneau D’Or in the Grade I Runhappy Santa Anita Derby. On the same day at Golden Gate, Wright campaigns two of the nine entered in the feature race on an 11-race program, the $50,000 Albany Stakes for turf sprinters voyaging five furlongs.
“Both of my Albany candidates are doing well,” said Wright. “I hope my two horses get clean trips.”
Those two candidates, Anyportinastorm and Baja Sur, are multiple stakes winners that possess an abundance of raw talent. Anyportinastorm hasn’t been seen since a gut wrenching, nose loss in the Grade 3 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs in August. The son of City Zip won the 2019 Lost in the Fog Stakes on the Golden Gate Tapeta earlier last year and was stakes placed on turf as a 3-year-old.
“We were ready for Anyportinastorm to defend his title in the 2020 Lost in the Fog and then COVID-19 came along,” said Wright. “We rerouted to this spot. He was fit to race in late April so he’ll be ready to go on Saturday.”
Baja Sur, winner of the Oakland Stakes against older horses as a 3-year-old last fall, makes his first start since a fifth place finish in the California Cup Sprint Stakes at Santa Anita in January.
“I’ve always wanted to try Baja Sur on turf,” said Wright. “Baja’ is by Smiling Tiger. The Smiling Tiger’s typically enjoy the grass. He’s fast and he’s working really well leading up to the Albany.”
Juan Hernandez, who had the choice of whether to navigate Anyportinastorm or Baja Sur, ended up siding with Anyportinastorm. Catalino Martinez picks up the mount on Baja Sur.
Jockey Julien Couton rides What’sontheagenda, the only Southern California entrant in the race, for trainer Doug O’Neill. Like the two Wright rivals, What’sontheagenda races fresh off a vacation. The son of Dialed is a multiple stakes placed turf sprinter, having finished second in the January 26 Clockers Corner Stakes and the 2019, Grade 3 Daytona Stakes at Santa Anita.
Mikes Tiznow has not raced since a victory in last year’s Albany Stakes and returns to the races with a steady series of morning drills leading up to this year’s rendition. The defending champion retains the services of Ricky Gonzalez, his regular jockey throughout 2019, and remains under the care of conditioner Andy Mathis.
“Mikes Tiznow broke his maiden coming off a 13 month layoff so he’s run well fresh before,” said Mathis. “This is the race we’ve been pointing for with him. I was hoping to get a prep race into him earlier this year but we had that time throughout April and some of May where we didn’t run. At that point, we had to train him up to this race. He’s run through his conditions and this is the most logical spot for him. It’s not an easy race-there are a lot of really nice horses entered-but he’s doing good.”
The ultra-gritty Bear Chum makes his second start for the Isidro Tamayo barn and appears as an intriguing “price play” prospect. The Australian-bred gelding has never run in a North American stakes race but holds peak form, having visited the winners circle in his last four races, all of which came over the Golden Gate Tapeta.
“When he raced overseas, he actually won a stake on turf,” said Tamayo. “He’s on a nice win streak right now and I think he’s a really confident horse at the moment.”
Tamayo also sends out Passionate Reward in the Albany. Claimed for $20,000 by owner Michael Demoulin, the former Richard Mandella trainee has wracked off 3 wins from 5 starts since moving to the Tamayo barn. All five aforementioned races have come on the Tapeta main track. Most recently, Passionate Reward suffered an undesirable trip and ran third to Bear Chum on May 15.
“Passionate Reward broke his maiden on the grass at Santa Anita and ran really well that day,” said Tamayo. “The surface change to turf isn’t a concern for me. Bear Chum got the first jump on Passionate Reward the other day, but I think Passionate Reward has tactical speed and hopefully he works out a good trip this time. This is a tough race but he’s training really well.”
Daddysprize, by Scat Daddy out of stakes winning mare YoutheprizeandI, makes his second start off a layoff after an easy victory against second level allowance company on Tapeta. The stakes placed ridgling is trained by Tim McCanna and will, once again, be ridden by Hall of Famer Kent Desormeuax rides.
Sparticle and Sunset Dragunn round out the list of entrants. The Albany Stakes goes as Race 9 and has a first post time of 4:45 PM PT.
Race 9: $50,000 Albany Stakes
#1 Sunset Dragunn (David C. Lopez, Tirso Rivera)
#2 Daddysprize (Kent Desormeaux, Tim McCanna)
#3 Bear Chum (Francisco Monroy, Isidro Tamayo)
#4 Baja Sur (Catalino Martinez, Blaine Wright)
#5 Sparticle (William Antongeorgi III, Matthew Troy)
#6 Anyportinastorm (Juan Hernandez, Blaine Wright)
#7 Mikes Tiznow (Ricky Gonzalez, Andy Mathis)
#8 Passionate Reward (Kyle Frey, Isidro Tamayo)
#9 What’sontheagenda (Julien Couton, Doug O’Neill)
BLUE DIVA RETURNS IN THE GOLDEN POPPY
Miss America Stakes winner Blue Diva is the most noteworthy local entrant in Sunday’s headliner at Golden Gate Fields, the $75,000 Golden Poppy Stakes for filly and mare routers. The mile and one-sixteenth turf contest was won last year by eventual Grade 3 winner Simply Breathless.
Blue Diva easily defeated a group of allowance foes on February 28 and freshens up three months for her springtime debut in the Golden Poppy. According to trainer Isidro Tamayo, the daughter of Bluegrass Cat enters the race in great shape.
“She’s doing super,” said Tamayo. “She’s a really classy filly. [Jockey] Juan [Hernandez] is sticking with her for this race and that gives me a lot of confidence.”
Among Blue Diva’s main rivals is Wicked Old Fashion, one of two entrants from the Victor Trujillo barn. She was claimed for $16,000 by Trujillo and owners Frank Aufdermaur and Wayne Swisher in 2018 and has won 7 races, including the Kathryn Crosby Stakes at Del Mar last fall.
“Wicked Old Fashion is doing well,” said Trujillo. “She loves the turf, that’s for sure. She’s one of those mares that tries hard and competes no matter where she is spotted.”
The other Trujillo entrant, Boundforjamaica, sprung a 56-1 upset in a first-level allowance Tapeta sprint on May 16 and makes her career debut on turf and routing in the Golden Poppy.
Trainer Manny Badilla saddles three entrants in the Golden Poppy: Morning Cynn, Sloane Garden, and Ziarah. Leading the Badilla charge is Ziarah, a mare who comes off three straight wins and is effective on turf as she is on Tapeta. Morning Cynn finished behind her stablemate the last time they met, in a second-level allowance affair on May 17 while Sloane Garden blasted past first-level allowance foes in her most recent afternoon appearance and wheels back two weeks later for her North American stakes debut.
Two Southern California entrants will get bet: Desert Oasis and Meal Ticket. The former, a Neil Drysdale trainee, last finished as the runner up in a second level allowance race and searches for blacktype, while the latter Santa Anita shipper is a Grade 2 placed mare from the Matt Chew barn who makes her second start off a layoff.
The Golden Poppy is Race 7 on the 9-race Sunday card with a scheduled post time of 4:03 PM.
Race 7: $75,000 Golden Poppy Stakes
#1 Meal Ticket (Jockey Kent Desormeaux, Trainer Matt Chew)
#2 Morning Cynn (David C. Lopez, Manny Badilla)
#3 Desert Oasis (Ricky Gonzalez, Neil Drysdale)
#4 Ziarah (Frank Alvarado, Manny Badilla)
#5 Wicked Old Fashion (Catalino Martinez, Victor Trujillo)
#6 Blue Diva (Juan Hernandez, Isidro Tamayo)
#7 Boundforjamaica (William Antongeorgi III, Victor Trujillo)
#8 Sloane Garden (Kyle Frey, Manny Badilla)
ANNEAU D’OR DRAWS POST 4 IN RUNHAPPY SANTA ANITA DERBY
Anneau D’Or drew post position 4 in the 2020 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby this Saturday at Santa Anita Park and will face six formidable rivals, including the Bob Baffert trained Authentic and talented Honor Code colt Honor A.P. Trainer Blaine Wright was in-route to Santa Anita Park and in good spirits when discussing Anneau D’Or’s Runhappy Santa Anita Derby chances on Wednesday afternoon.
“He’s training just fine,” said Blaine. “He shipped to Santa Anita on Monday and is resting happily in his stall there.”
The son of Medgalia D’Oro, purchased for $480,000 by owner Peter Redekop, finished second in the Grade 1 Breeders Cup Juvenile and Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity last year and was considered a major player on the Triple Crown trail heading into 2020. However, his first two starts as a 3-year-old have been subpar.
After two off the board finishes in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds and the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, Wright says there are reasons to believe that Anneau D’Or can run an improved race in his third start of 2020.
“He likes the Santa Anita dirt,” said Wright. “He ran great over it in the Breeders Cup. We worked him once over the strip in April and he cruised over it.”
“He didn’t break quickly in Arkansas, either, and had to rush into contention early,” continued Wright. “Nobody was going to beat the winner, but Anneau D’Or flattened out a little bit late. I think it was partially because he had to be used up early on to get in a good spot.”
In the Santa Anita Derby, Anneau D’Or will be ridden for the first time by 3-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Victor Espinoza and is listed at 15-1 on the morning line. The Santa Anita Derby goes as Race 8 on a stakes-packed 11 race card at Santa Anita.
“It’s critical Anneau D’Or breaks [from the gate] well,” concluded Wright. “We’re going to give him more shot. If he breaks and gets a good trip, hopefully he puts up his best race.”
Also entered in the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby is El Camino Real Stakes winner Azul Coast, who makes his first start since the aforementioned victory at Golden Gate. Trained by Bob Baffert, the son of Super Saver will be ridden by Umberto Rispoli for the first time.
“I hope he can get a piece of the action,” said Baffert to Horse Racing Nation’s Jonathan Litner. “He’s a late running horse.”
FINISH LINES: El Camino Real Derby second place finisher American Farmer returned to the work tab on Saturday morning, working an easy half mile for trainer Steve Sherman…Over $93,000 was awarded to a sharp Golden Pick Six jackpot winner on Saturday afternoon. Just over $4,287 is carried over into the Golden Pick Six jackpot pool heading into Thursday’s card…The Stronach 5 wager is back in play this Friday, beginning with Laurel Park’s seventh race. The third race from Golden Gate is Leg D (the fourth leg) of the Stronach 5…Happy birthday to jockey Francisco Duran and trainer Steve Miyadi, both who turn one-year older this week.